State of the Art in the Targeted Modification of Chitosan

The chemical modification of chitosan via polymer-analogous reactions and grafting and block copolymerizations with vinyl monomers in liquid media and in the solid phase is considered. The main attention is given to factors influencing the efficiency of copolymerization processes, such as the nature of a monomer and initiator, the molecular mass, the degree of deacetylation, and the conformation of chitosan macromolecules (pH of a medium), and temperature. The effects of composition and structure of the copolymers on their properties are ascertained. Some prospects for the application of chitosan derivatives are analyzed.